Alexander Thomson, 32, hit Thomas Hulme, 23, after a shoe prank went wrong following a night on the town, the court heard.

Both men jumped in a taxi with three other mates near to Farringdon station near where they had been drinking.

The men were all former colleagues, but Thomson had just been fired from his job at a nearby recruitment firm.

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TRAGIC: Thomas Hulme was killed on a night out while with Thomson

“He now abstains completely from alcohol”

Lisa Wilding QC

Mr Hulme, from Tooting in south west London, threw Thomson's shoe out of the window of the minicab in central London on August 26 last year.

In response Thomson punched him once in the head, causing the victim to collapse at around 11.20pm by the junction with Old Seacoal Lane, near Ludgate Circus in the City.

Emergency services took Mr Hulme to hospital where he died the following evening.

Thomson was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

Wearing a dark suit and tie with short brown hair, he spoke once to plead guilty today at the Old Bailey.

Members of Mr Hulme's family were in court during the hearing.

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COURT: Thomson arriving at court

Thomas was spotted wiping a tear away as he stood in the dock.

Lisa Wilding QC, defending, said they would be seeking expert psychiatric advice and that the accused suffered from alcohol issues.

She said: "The defendant has since these tragic events been seeing two different counsellors in respect of both alcohol consumption and more specifically the underlying issues that might have been masked by that alcohol consumption.

"Can I make clear that Alexander Thomson recognises that a custodial sentence will be the expected sentence following his guilty plea.

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PLEA: Thomson now faces jail following his guilty plea

"It is however a case where we submit all of the circumstances of this case are such that the court should know why it is that matters escalated to the level that they did that night, with the wholly unexpected but tragic consequences.

"He now abstains completely from alcohol."

Commenting on the incident, Judge Wendy Joseph said: "On the way home, one of the other young men, apparently in a spirit of jest, threw his shoe out of the window, in response to which this defendant punched him in the head."